Sunday, September 13, 2009

Pepper Chicken Stir Fry, Salad With Oriental Ginger Dressing, Fruit Cup

Here is a great low carbohydrate Oriental dinner.


Pepper Chicken Stir Fry

1 pound of chicken cut into small pieces
1 green bell pepper - diced
1 red bell pepper - died
1 onion- diced
salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder to taste
2 tablespoons of oil

Heat oil, and add all ingredients. Cool until chicken reaches at least 165 degrees. Add spices to taste. I usually add about 1 teaspoon of each.

Salad With Ginger Dressing

1 cup oil
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons minced ginger
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 teaspoons honey
ground pepper and salt to taste

Mix all ingredients in bowl with a wisk.

Dessert: 1 fruit cup without sugar

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Easy Picnic Ideas

Eating a picnic lunch can be a challenge for a diabetic if you don't think ahead. Here are a few simple ideas that you might enjoy.

Sandwiches: 
ham or turkey on whole wheat bread with lettuce, tomato and onion (optional)
ham and turkey sub (on a whole wheat sub roll - of course) load it with veggies

Try to stick to mustard on the sandwich or red wine vinegar because mayonaise has a lot of fat, and ketchup has a lot of sugar.

Salads:
Make a super salad to go. Layer dark greens like romaine and  leaf lettuce, then iceburg lettuce, tomatoes, cucumber and a light layer of cheese. Buy some packets of dressing from the grocery store or fill a small container with dressing to put in the picnic cooler, and you're good to go.

Snacks:
Pack some fruit or fruit salad in small cups to snack on. It will help cool you off, and keeps your sugar in check. If you want to be a little bit bad, without getting yourself in trouble, make an upside down strawberry tart.

Upside Down Strawberry Tart

Ingredients: 
strawberries, Splenda to taste, whipped cream and crushed graham crackers

Wash and slice strawberries.
Sprinkle strawberries with Splenda, put into small seal-able cups.
Top with a dollop of whipped cream.
Sprinkle the top with graham cracker crumbs.
Seal and cool until time to eat. 

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

BBQ Pork Chop / Southern Macaroni and Cheese / Lima Beans / Fruit Salad

BBQ Pork Chop
pork chop
2 T ketchup, 2 T mustard, 1 t garlic powder, 1 t onion powder, 2 packets splenda

1. Bake pork chop in 400 degree oven until close to done - about 15 minutes.
2. Mix remaining ingredients in bowl. Taste to see if you need to add more flavoring. Lightly brush across pork chop, and finish cooking.
3. Pork chops should cook to 160 degrees.

Southern Style Macaroni and Cheese
1 lb box of whole wheat noodles
3 eggs
1 cup milk
salt and pepper
1 lb shredded cheese

1. Cook macaroni until aldente'.
2. Drain noodles and pour into a baking dish. Make sure you spray it with oil first or you'll be sorry!
3. Mix eggs and milk together in a bowl.
4. Layer ingredients - noodles, egg mixture, salt, pepper, cheese - until all ingredients are used.
5. Top with salt and pepper, and cook in 450 degree oven for 20 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.
6. Let cool for a few minutes before eating.

Only eat one 2" x 2" piece at a meal.


Lima Beans
canned lima beans
beef broth

1. Drain juice from beans.
2. Add can of broth to beans and cook for about 15 minutes after brought to full boil.

Fruit Salad
apple
orange
cherries
plum

Cut fruit into chunks, and mix together.

Sunday, July 26, 2009

Easy Chicken Dinner

Baked Chicken /Potato Bake /Green Beans / Sliced Fruit

Baked Chicken
lean chicken breast
salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder

sprinkle chicken breast with all spices and bake in 400 degree oven until it reaches 165 degrees - about 20 minutes.

Potato Bake
1 potato (Wash well. Cut off skin with 1/4 inch of white part of potato, and cut into small portions. Don''t use the inside. If someone is eating with you who is not eating low carb, cut up that part of the potato for them. )
1 onion diced
1 small red pepper (optional)
1 pat butter or margarine

Put all ingredients into a piece of aluminum foil, close it up tightly, and bake in oven or on the grill. In the oven, cook at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, and on the grill, cook for 15 minutes.

Green Beans
fresh or frozen green beans
1T butter or margarine
salt and pepper
beef broth

Saute beans in butter for about 5-10 minutes.
Pour in beef broth and cook for 20 minutes.
Serve hot.

Sliced Fruit
Eat slice fruit like apples, pears, strawberries , peaches or plums for desert

Sweets

Pumpkin Pie

1 15 ounce can of Pumpkin
3/4 cup Splenda
1/2 t salt
1t cinnamon
1/2 t ground ginger
1/4 t ground cloves
2 eggs
1 12ounce can evaporated milk
unbaked 9" pie shell (This recipe has a little extra carbs because of the shell, but I haven't found a good alternative for this yet.)

1.Mix all ingredients and pour into the pie shell.
2. Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 degrees. Cook 40-50 minutes or until a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean.

Friday, July 24, 2009

SALADS

Chicken Strip Salad

Ingredients:
spinach, lettuce, cucumber, onion, tomato diced into bite sized pieces
cheese - shredded
2 chicken strips - grilled and cut into small pieces
salad dressing of your choice (make sure the sugar content is under 10 grams)
French's fried onions (just a small sprinkle)

Layer all ingredients, and top with a small amount of dressing.


Pasta Salad

Ingredients:
1 lb cooked and drained whole wheat spaghetti noodles
1 large diced onion
1 large diced tomato
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 bottle of fat free italian dressing (check the sugar content - make sure it's under 10 grams)
1 T salt, pepper, italian seasoning
1/2 T onion powder and garlic powder

Mix all ingredients together. It may be served hot or cold. It stays good in the fridge for about three days.

Soups and Stews

I'm going to add new recipes to this blog, so please check back often. The foods listed do have carbohydrates, but they are not the ones that shoot your blood sugar out the roof. I've been eating this way for several years, and it has improved my blood sugar and blood pressure to the point that I don't need to take medication.

Chili and Beans:
Serves: about 6 servings depending on how long it is cooked

Ingredients:1 pound of beef cut into small ¼ in squares, 1 pound ground beef or 1 pound ground pork1 large diced onion 1 diced green bell pepper (optional)2-14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes2-8 ounce cans of tomato sauce3 cans of kidney beans (light or dark) that have been drained3 T tomato paste2 T Chili powder 1 T Garlic Powder1 T Onion powder1 T Salt1/2 TO 1 T PepperRed pepper flakes (optional)
Directions:Cook beef until browned, drain off excess oil and put into a large cooking pot. Add all other ingredients, and bring to a boil on medium high. Stir the chili often so that it doesn’t stick. I always cook mine in a non-stick pot. Reduce heat to medium and cook for at least one hour before serving. It tastes best if you reduce the heat to low after an hour and allow it to cook for another hour or two before you eat it

Chicken Noodle Soup
1 can chicken or 6 ounces fresh chicken cooked and diced (This is a good way to use leftover baked chicken.)
1 can chicken broth
whole wheat spaghetti noodles - broken in half
1 cup water
pepper

1.Mix chicken, broth, water and pepper in pot and bring to a boil.
2.Add noodles and cook until tender. Serve hot.

Optional - diced onion and carrot can be added to the broth in step one.

Introduction

THE LOW CARB LIFE: A DIET FOR DIABETICS
Introduction:
Several years ago, I was diagnosed with type II diabetes. I tried taking Glucophage, but had awful side effects. My stomach was a mess and I practically lived in the bathroom. It was horrible. I went to my doctor and she gave me two choices - totally change my diet or go to insulin shots. Of course, I chose the change in diet, but not happily. I have always been a junk food freak and you could tell it by my weight. When I first changed my diet I weighed about 300 pounds, but by changing my diet I have taken off close to 100 pounds and kept it off. My sugar level and blood pressure are both under control and I feel so much better. I still eat out and enjoy food, but I try to make better choices on foods. I had to come to terms with the fact that this was not just a diet to control my weight, but a permanent change in my eating habits. The first month I felt like I was about to starve because the low carb recipes available were just plain disgusting or not filling, so I created my own. I loved pizza, pasta and all the things that weren't allowed on the diet, and I craved them. I actually had a crying fit the first day of my diet because I wanted a hot fudge cake so bad! I learned to alter recipes so well that my husband didn't realize he was eating sugar free and low carb most of the time. Most of the recipes are either low carb or use foods that are low glycemic index foods that a diabetic can eat more easily. It was easy once you learned a few simple tricks.
Before you make any big changes to your diet consult your doctor! Do not stop taking any medication without your doctor’s permission! Do not do any large changes in your exercise program without your doctor’s permission!
Simple Changes With Big Results:
Drink diet drinks or water instead of sweet drinks.
Cut out white bread and eat 100% whole wheat instead. (Remember if it doesn't say 100% whole wheat -it isn't!)
Eat whole wheat noodles instead of regular noodles.
Avoid high glycemic index foods such as: sugar, white flour, white rice, potatoes, corn, carrots, pineapple, watermelon and dried fruits. They shoot your sugar straight up.
Use lots of spices to replace sugars and salt. (If you have blood pressure problems, try Salt Sense it doesn't have a funny taste to it and only gives you half the amount of sodium that you would normally use.)
I said to avoid dried fruits, but have your doctor check your potassium level. Research shows that most diabetics and people with high blood pressure tend to have low potassium. I eat one banana or small box of raisins each day to make sure my potassium is high enough. I found out about this when my mother had a heart attack due to low potassium. Since then, I have been very careful.
Walk at least 30 minutes a day. Even if you walk in 5 minute spurts very slowly, walk 30 minute a day. It helps to lower sugar level and keeps you healthier. Remember the more muscle mass that you have, the higher your metabolism.